Page 59 of Run
“Just water.”
He disappears and comes back a few seconds later, tossing me a water bottle as he walks around the coffee table and sits next to me. “You only got a seltzer at the restaurant.” He cracks open the beer in his hand. “You don’t drink?”
I shake my head and pick at the label on the bottle. “Nope. Never had a sip.”
“Really?” He draws his head back in surprise and raises his eyebrows.
“Yep.”
“So, you just don’t feel like it?”
“Well, my therapist”—I scrunch up my nose at the word—“says children of alcoholics often go one way or the other. Either they inherit the same addictive, self-medicating behavior, or they never touch the stuff. I was adopted, so I don’t know what’s in my genes. But seeing how alcohol made Axel act like a rabid dog every time he had a drink, I’ve never really been interested in trying it myself. Or being around too many people who drink to inebriation. Which I know is a bit of a joke because I workedat the bar for all that time. And I hung out with Sean, who had alcohol coming out of his pores.”
“Yeah …” Ethan begins hesitantly, leaning forward and placing the beer on the coffee table, pushing it out of reach. “What was that all about, with Sean?” He leans back into the couch and drapes one arm along the back of it, resting his hand close to my head.
“You don’t seem surprised.”
“I saw photos of you all from time to time. Some that Fonz posted or whatnot. So, I knew you guys were hanging out, or dating, or whatever.” He gives me the side-eye.
“Ugh. I dunno. Call it circling the drain? Poor self-esteem? Glutton for punishment?” I cringe. “Either way, it was a disaster.”
“Was,” Ethan repeats my word. “So, I hope that means you’re not with him anymore.”
“No. I haven’t seen him since, well, since the night of the accident.”
Ethan’s eyes shoot to mine. “Did he have something to do with it?”
I squint as I think how to answer that question. “Not really, I guess.”
“What does that mean?”
I push my hands into the cushion at my hips, lifting myself a little so I can start to slide my legs down in front of me. Ethan immediately leans over and grabs me by the calves and swivels me, pulling my legs straight and placing them in his lap.
“Thanks.” I feel my cheeks flush. After all this time, Ethan’s touch is still so familiar, and intoxicating, and that makes this all so surreal. “That night he came over and we had a fight, and I ended up running—shocker, I know.”
Ethan squeezes my calves over my skinny jeans. He doesn’t look at me as he asks, “What kind of fight?”
My heart stops. I know what he’s asking, and as much as I want to be honest with him, I want to spare us both the heartache. “Just an argument over him being late to pick me up. He wanted to stay and hang out and I told him that if he was staying then I was leaving. So, I went for a run and was in my head and, well, the rest you now know.”
Ethan doesn’t say anything.
“What about you? I saw a picture of you with a cute brunette several years back who Fonz said you were crazy about. And then he said you went through a bunch of women after that. The poor things.”
Ethan forces out a laugh. “Yeah, Fonz was definitely embellishing. I was with Jules for a few years, but she cheated on me. Anyone else after that was just convenient.” When I say nothing, Ethan turns his head. “Why are you staring at me?”
“Who on this fucking earth would cheat on you?!” I shriek.
He blinks. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say ‘fuck’ before.”
“Well, I’m going to say it again for emphasis. Why the fuck would she cheat on you, Ethan?”
He laughs and shakes his head. “I guess you would have to ask her that.”
“Seriously, what an asshole she is.”
“Thank you,” he says with a head bow. “I’m touched. Really.”
“What a bitch.”
